Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that due to weather in Atlanta, the games between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday would be made up as part of a traditional doubleheader Monday afternoon, and those games could have significant playoff implications.
Both the Mets and Braves are in the hunt for postseason berths heading into the final weekend. New York currently holds the second Wild Card spot, a half-game up on the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have a half-game lead over Atlanta for the third and final Wild Card.
BREAKING: Both today and tomorrow’s games between the Mets and Braves have been postponed.
The two teams will play a straight doubleheader starting at 1:10 p.m on Monday. pic.twitter.com/xcu3zPwDp4
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 25, 2024
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Mets-Braves Doubleheader with Implications for Playoffs Scheduled for Monday
Depending on how things shake out over the weekend, one or both teams could end up having to fly straight from Atlanta to either Milwaukee or San Diego to open their Wild Card playoff series the following day.
For the Braves, things would be fairly simple. They’re home this weekend against the Kansas City Royals – a team also fighting for playoff positioning – so it would simply be one extra day of games before opening the postseason on Tuesday.
The Mets, though, have it a little rougher.
They will be facing the Brewers this weekend in Milwaukee. So a scenario exists in which the Mets would play three games at American Family Field, fly to Atlanta for a doubleheader Monday then fly right back to Milwaukee to open the Wild Card series on Tuesday.
More Wrinkles in NL Wild Card Race
The Diamondbacks, losers of three in a row, wrap up a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants tonight, then after an off-day Thursday, close out their regular season with three at home against the Padres, who currently hold the No. 1 Wild Card spot with a 4 ½ – game lead over New York, putting them in line to host one of the two best-of-three series and face the No. 2 Wild Card team.
Barring a late collapse by the Los Angeles Dodgers or Philadelphia Phillies, who hold the two best records in the National League, the Brewers will host the other Wild Card series by virtue of winning the Central Division for a second straight season, and would face the third Wild Card team.
And if all this isn’t confusing enough, there’s also one more added twist. If the Diamondbacks fall out of the race, this leaves the Braves and Mets as the last two teams in. With the seeding undecided before Monday, the decision of whether or not to play the doubleheader would go to Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Photo Credit: © Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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